Introduction

Welcome to Haryana State Biodiversity Board

Biodiversity encompasses the variety & diversity of all life forms on earth such as plants, animals and microbes living in a wide range of ecosystems on earth. Biodiversity & its interlink forms the very basis of life on this planet. According to estimations, there are about 13 to 14 million species of plants and animals living on our planet, out of which only 1.75 million species have been databased so far. Due to increasing population, developmental pressures, unequitable and unsustainable utilization of bio-resources, many species of plants and animals are getting extinct every year. Human activities have enhanced extinction rate by almost 50 to 100 times. Fragmentation and degradation of habitats pose threat to our own survival and well-being.

To address the grave issue of loss of biodiversity and extinction of species, an Earth Summit was held at Rio de Janeiro in Brazil in 1992 and a multilateral treaty named as ‘Convention on Biological Diversity’ was signed. 194 countries including India are signatory to this treaty. To give effect to the said convention, the India Parliament enacted the Biological Diversity Act, 2002 effective from 5-02-2003. Conservation of Biodiversity as a common concern of humankind was made an integral part of the development process.

India has 2.4% of global land area but it has 7 to 8% globally recorded species. Over 46,000 species of plants and 96,000 species of animals (63,423 insect species) have been recorded wherein 62% amphibian species are endemic to India. India is one of the 17 mega bio diverse countries and it is known and recognized for its rich associated Traditional Knowledge, where Biodiversity is predominantly managed by its local communities.
The act is to be implemented through a three tier decentralized mechanism i.e. at the National, State and Local body level. The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) has been established at the national level with its headquarters in Chennai (Tamil Nadu). The State Biodiversity Boards (SBBs) have been formed at State level and Biodiversity Management Committees (BMC) are being constituted at the level of local bodies.

Haryana State Biodiversity Board (HSBB) was established as per the provisions of Biological Diversity Act, 2002 to protect and preserve the biodiversity in the State. The HSBB was established on 14th November, 2006, through a Gazette notification under the Environment Department. In 2016, the HSBB was transferred to the Forest Department. The HSBB has been reconstituted on 12th September, 2019.